Badlapur Sexual Assault Accused Killed In 'Encounter', Two Cops Injured; Opposition Slams Maharashtra Government

The Badlapur sexual assault accused was being taken for an encounter when he was killed in an encounter. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended the police saying that they fired in self-defence.

Mumbai: Akshay Shinde, accused of sexually assaulting two nursery girls in a school at Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district, was killed in an 'encounter' while being taken from the Taloja jail to Badlapur on Monday.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said police fired in self-defence."The ex-wife of the main accused had filed a complaint of sexual assault. He was being taken for an investigation, at that time, he snatched the police's gun and fired at the police and also fired in the air. For their own defence, police fired at him. He was taken to a hospital where he died," Fadnavis told reporters here.

Police said that while Akshay was being taken to Badlapur from Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai, he snatched the gun from police personnel and fired at the cops. "For our self-defence, we shot at Akshay. He was rushed to a hospital but he died there. Two police personnel are injured," police added.

महायुती सरकारने बदलापूर लैंगिक अत्याचार प्रकरण अतिशय चुकीच्या पद्धतीने हाताळले आहे. याप्रकरणी एफआयआर दाखल करण्यात उशीर करण्यात आला. लोकांच्या प्रचंड दबावानंतर एफ आय आर दाखल करण्यात आली खरी पण आता आरोपीचा पोलीस कोठडीत मृत्यू झाला. कायदा सुव्यवस्था आणि न्यायव्यवस्थेची ही शासन…

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) September 23, 2024

Shinde, an attendant at the school, allegedly sexually assaulted two girls inside the toilet. The parents lodged a complaint five days later after which, the accused was arrested on August 17.

The incident triggered a massive protest as locals blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and ransacked the school building. They also pelted stones and vandalised vehicles following which, police had to resort to a mild lathi charge and fire tear gas. Over 30 people were arrested in this connection and a case was lodged against 2000 people. Amid the protest, internet services were also suspended in the area, which was wrapped under heavy security.

Notably, the Badlapur incident had surfaced at a time when protests were being launched in West Bengal over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule lashed out at the Maharashtra government after Akshay Shinde's death. In a post on X, Sule said, "The Mahayuti Government's approach to the Badlapur sexual assault case of two minor girls is shocking. Delay in the filing of the FIR first, and now the prime accused is killed in custody. This is an absolute breakdown of law enforcement and the justice system. This is inexcusable, it deprives the people of Maharashtra of justice."

Sule's father and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) supremo Sharad Pawar also hit out at the Home Ministry, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In a post on X, Pawar, a former Union Minister, said, "The accused should have been hanged to death. However, the laxity shown by the Home Department in transferring the main accused in this incident is questionable. It seems that the government has become weak in threatening the law so that no one would even think of such a reprehensible act in the future. It is expected that the situation will emerge from the thorough investigation of this incident."

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